1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information terminal apparatus which can originate a telephone call to a telephone circuit, and more particularly to a method which provides a simplified telephone number operation for an information terminal apparatus having an operation system (hereinafter referred to simply as OS) for displaying a window screen.
2. Description of the Related Art
An OS by which display data processed by a plurality of programs are displayed on windows (for example, the Windows 95 of Microsoft) is conventionally available. An information terminal such as a computer in which such an OS as just described is installed is connected to a circuit by means of a modem having a circuit interface with a telephone circuit in order to originate a telephone call, and can display a window by the OS and effect telephone communication.
Also an information terminal having such a telephone call origination function as just described has been proposed wherein character information including a telephone number displayed on a window screen (second window) for a word processor document or the like displayed as a result execution of a controlling OS is extracted and only the number is taken out from within the character information and displayed in a telephone call originating window (first window) under the control of a telephoning OS and then a telephone call is originated to a telephone circuit based on the displayed number. The information terminal saves a time for inputting the telephone number and allows a telephone call to be originated simply and rapidly.
FIG. 15 shows the information terminal just described. Referring to FIG. 15, the information terminal includes a circuit interface 1 connected a telephone circuit L, a control circuit 2 for controlling the entire information terminal, a mouse 3, a keyboard 4, a display memory 5 and a display unit 6 all connected to the control circuit 2, and a telephone set 12 connected to the circuit interface 1.
The control circuit 2 includes a controlling OS execution circuit 7 for executing a basic OS for causing a window to be displayed and a controlling OS which is initiated under the basic OS and includes, for example, a word processor OS, a telephoning OS execution circuit 8 for executing a telephoning OS, and input/output interfaces (I/O) 9, 10 and 11 connected to the mouse 3, keyboard 4 and display memory 5, respectively.
The telephoning OS of the telephoning OS execution circuit 8 allows a telephone call to be originated to a telephone circuit through the controlling OS of the controlling OS execution circuit 7. In particular, the telephoning OS execution circuit 8 controls a display application of the controlling OS execution circuit 7 to cause the display unit 6 to display such a telephone call originating window (first window) 111 as shown in FIG. 16 through the display memory 5.
Further, the telephoning OS execution circuit 8 extracts character information 113 for telephone call origination from within an arbitrary window display screen (second window) 112 in response to an operation of the mouse 3 or the keyboard 4, extracts only numeral information from within the character information and displays the numeral information as telephone number information on the telephone call originating window 111.
Finally, when the telephone number of a display portion 116 in the telephone call originating window 111 designates an extension line, an extension button 117 is clicked, but when the telephone number designates a line wire, a line wire button 118 is clicked, by means of the mouse 3. Consequently, the circuit interface 1 is controlled so that it may originate a telephone call to the telephone circuit L based on the number displayed on the display portion 116.
In this manner, arbitrary telephone number information displayed in a window of a word processor document or some other window screen displayed as a result of execution of the controlling OS can be extracted by a simple operation and a telephone call can be originated automatically.
With the information terminal described above, a time required to cause a telephone key screen to be displayed on the display unit 6 and input a telephone number is saved and a telephone call can be originated simply and rapidly. However, when a character train is clicked for dialing, information of an address, a name, a post and so forth included in the clicked character train is abandoned after the dialing, and in order to originate a telephone call to the same designation again, the same character train must be clicked again. Similarly, when, upon reception, a relating character train is displayed and the displayed information is clicked, even if information of an address, a post and so forth is included in the information, the information is abandoned.
Further, also with apparatus which use the OS of the Windows CE of Microsoft published as the most novel type, no screen link for receiving dial information is available, and a screen on which a telephone number is dialed upon telephone call origination remains within linking in an application such as a scheduler or a business card management application. Therefore, a telephone number must be described in and controlled as a telephone directory address in the application.
It is a further problem that general purpose telephone directory information and a telephone call origination-termination history are not linked except a database for exclusive use for a call center.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a telephone directory address storing method and an information terminal having a telephone function which achieves further augmentation of the operability.
In order to attain the object described above, according to the present invention, a character train clicked for dialing is made the most of to efficiently manage telephone directory information of an information terminal apparatus.
In particular, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a telephone directory address storing method by an information terminal which has an operation system by which a plurality of window screens can be displayed on a display unit and is provided with a telephone function, comprising the steps of selecting character information on a window screen initiated by the operating system and storing the selected character information, and extracting a telephone number from within the selected and stored character information, originating a telephone call to a telephone circuit based on the extracted telephone number and transferring and storing all of the selected character information to and into a telephone directory address storage section.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a telephone directory address storing method by an information terminal which has an operation system by which a plurality of window screens can be displayed on a display unit and is provided with a telephone function, comprising the steps of displaying a first window for controlling origination of a telephone call, selecting character information on a second window initiated by the operating system and displayed separately from the first window and storing the selected character information, and extracting a telephone number from within the stored character information and displaying the telephone number on the first window, originating a telephone call to a telephone circuit based on the telephone number displayed on the first window, and transferring and storing all of the selected character information to and into a telephone directory address storage section.
According to a yet further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information terminal having a telephone function and having an operation system which allows a plurality of window screens to be displayed on a display unit, comprising character information selection means for selecting character information displayed on a window screen initiated by the operating system, storage means for storing the character information selected by the character information selection means, means for extracting a telephone number from within the character information stored in the storage means, means for outputting the telephone number extracted by the means for extracting a telephone number in order to originate a telephone call to a telephone circuit, and telephone directory address storage means for storing the character information stored in the storage means as address information.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information terminal having a telephone function and having an operation system which allows a plurality of window screens to be displayed on a display unit, comprising means for displaying a first window for controlling origination of a telephone call, means initiated by the operating system for displaying a second window, character information selection means for selecting character information displayed on the second window screen, storage means for storing the character information selected by the character information selection means, means for extracting a telephone number from within the character information stored in the storage means and displaying the telephone number on the first window, means for outputting the telephone number displayed on the first window in order to originate a telephone call to a telephone circuit, and telephone directory address storage means for storing the character information stored in the storage means as address information. The information terminal may further comprise means for displaying reception information on the second window, character information selection means for selecting character information from within the reception information displayed on the second window screen, storage means for storing the character information selected by the character information selection means, and telephone directory address storage means for storing the character information stored in the storage means as address information.
Each of the information terminals may further comprise means for reading out the character information stored in the telephone directory address storage means, extracting a telephone number from within the read out character information, and originating a telephone call to a circuit based on the extracted telephone number.
The telephone directory address storage means may be sectioned into more than one item column, and include item comparison memory means for extracting character information corresponding to each of the items from within the selected character information and transferring and storing the character information to and into the pertaining item column.
The item comparison memory means may store characters relating to the items, and compare, when a character train other than a numeral is included in the character information selected by the character information selection means, the character information with the characters stored in the item comparison memory means and store, when coincident characters are detected in the character train, the character train into the pertaining item column of the telephone directory address storage means.
The item comparison memory means may include an address comparison memory section and compare, when a character train other than a numeral is included in the character train fetched from the second window, the character train with predetermined characters registered in the address comparison memory section, and then store, when coincident characters are detected in the character train, the character train into an address column of the telephone directory address storage section.
As an alternative, the item comparison memory means may include a name comparison memory section and compare, when a character train other than a numeral is included in the character train fetched from the second window, the character train with predetermined characters registered in the name comparison memory section, and then store, when coincident characters are detected in the character train, the character train into a name column of the telephone directory address storage section.
As another alternative, the item comparison memory means may include a post comparison memory section and compare, when a character train other than a numeral is included in the character train fetched from the second window, the character train with predetermined characters registered in the post comparison memory section, and then store, when coincident characters are detected in the character train, the character train into a post column of the telephone directory address storage section.
As a further alternative, the item comparison memory means may include a mail comparison memory section and compare, when a character train other than a numeral is included in the character train fetched from the second window, the character train with predetermined characters registered in the mail comparison memory section, and then store, when coincident characters are detected in the character train, the character train into a mail column of the telephone directory address storage section.
As a still further alternative, the item comparison memory means may include a FAX comparison memory section and compare, when a character train other than a numeral is included in the character train fetched from the second window, the character train with predetermined characters registered in the FAX comparison memory section, and then store, when coincident characters are detected in the character train, the character train into a FAX column of the telephone directory address storage section.
As a yet further alternative, the item comparison memory means may include a division comparison memory section and compare, when a character train other than a numeral is included in the character train fetched from the second window, the character train with predetermined characters registered in the division comparison memory section, and then store, when coincident characters are detected in the character train, the character train into a division column of the telephone directory address storage section.
As a yet further alternative, the item comparison memory means may include a company name comparison memory section and compare, when a character train other than a numeral is included in the character train fetched from the second window, the character train with predetermined characters registered in the company name comparison memory section, and then store, when coincident characters are detected in the character train, the character train into a company name column of the telephone directory address storage section.
Each of the information terminals may further comprise means for storing, when a telephone call to the telephone circuit is originated, a call origination history into a history column of the telephone directory address storage section.
Each of the information terminals may further comprise means for inputting characters from an operation section to store the call origination history into a history column of the telephone directory address storage section.
According to a yet further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage medium on which a program is stored for causing a computer to execute the steps of displaying a first window for controlling origination of a telephone call, selecting character information on a second window different from the first window and storing the selected character information, extracting a telephone number from within the stored character information and displaying the telephone number on the first window, originating a telephone call to a telephone circuit based on the telephone number displayed on the first window, and transferring and storing the selected character information to and into a telephone directory address storage section.
With the telephone directory address storing methods and information terminals, only by designating a display on a a screen, a telephone call can be originated, and each time a call origination operation is repeated, company name, category, post, mail, FAX or the like of the other party is automatically stored into the telephone directory address storage section. Consequently, there is an advantage that the contents of the telephone directory are automatically grown.
Further, each time a caller ID such as a telephone number, company name, address or FAX column is acquired from the last description of a mail or the like or from a column of enquiry of a Web, an address, full name, company name, category, post, mail, FAX or the like of the other party is automatically stored into the telephone directory address storage section. Consequently, there is an advantage that the contents of the telephone directory are automatically grown. Furthermore, only by simultaneously designating the caller ID upon dialing, a telephone call can be originated.
Besides, since dialing can be performed based on an address stored in the telephone directory address storage section, a telephone call origination operation can be performed simply and conveniently, and augmentation of the transmission efficiency can be achieved.
Further, since the means is provided for storing, when a telephone call origination operation is performed, the telephone call origination history into the history column of the telephone directory address storage section, there is an advantage that, only by repeating a telephone call origination operation, a client corresponding history is left in the telephone directory. Further, the telephone call origination history may be stored into the contents of the history column of the telephone directory address storage section by inputting characters from the operation section.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like parts or elements are denoted by like reference symbols.